A Fresh Start
by mkras
Summary: Finn and Rachel's first day back from summer vacation.


I am utterly and hopelessly in love with these two at the moment. I'm hoping 2x01 won't be a repeat of anything like "Hell-O". I highly doubt it, but with those writers, one can never be certain. So here's hoping to a fluff-filled, make-out central, hand holding, lovefest of Finchel for Season 2! And hopefully this fic will start that off :)

* * *

The summer went by so fast.

She's waiting excitedly at the front door, her dad's pretending to busy themselves in the lounge room all the while keeping their eyes glued to the driveway.

Before Rachel can even see his car, the wheels of the small blue car drag lazily against the gravel and she quickly picks up her bag in anticipation.

The car comes into sight and now her dad's are behind her. She's too caught up in getting a glimpse of him to shoo them away.

Then she sees him.

Brown meets brown. He already has this big grin plastered across his face. She can't help but smile back. He carefully parks the car a few feet from the door and clumsily hops out, the car door frame to small for his tall build.

She's refraining herself from running right into his arms and squealing with delight.

"Hey." He says, walking up to her.

"Hey." She looks up at him, a little breathless.

"Hi Mr and uh-" He fumbles for a second, even after a whole summer of practice he still mucks it up, "Mr Berry." He offers them an awkward wave.

"Finn." One of her dad's says, nodding his head towards the teenager.

"Well usually we take this earlier, but we thought we'd wait for you, Finn."

"Take what?" Finn asks confused, looking down at Rachel. She just smiles.

Her other dad speaks up. "You know, a photo of our darling on her first day of her junior year."

"Oh." Finn says, understanding. Then suddenly Rachel has taken his hand and is standing beside him.

"Say cheese." Her dad says before Finn can even wonder where the hell the camera even came from.

The first photo is quietly deleted and another is taken before they're finally on their way to school.

Finn really likes Rachel's dads. They're super nice, once you get to know them, and after a whole summer of mildly threatening glances and watchful eyes, he finally has their approval. He doesn't blame them though, for their initial wariness, especially after the way he had treated Rachel the first time round. But this time it would be different.

He's made a mix of all the songs they've ever sung together, after chasing down Mr Schue for the recordings. He can hear her quietly humming along; she seems to have calmed down since they left her house. He hums along with her. It's one of his favourites, "Hello, Goodbye."

She's actually turned pretty quiet. Instinctively, Finn reaches over and takes her hand in his. She looks up at him, smiling, letting out a small sigh.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's just…we're going back to school, back to reality."

Finn stays quiet. He's not sure what she means at this point, but he knows she'll elaborate if he doesn't say anything.

Except she doesn't.

Suddenly he's a little anxious.

"It'll be good to go back to school, to see everyone in Glee again." He squeezes her hand reassuringly.

She doesn't say anything, but gives him a small smile.

Worried, but too confused to breach why she's being so quiet, Finn doesn't say anything more. They stay silent for the rest of the trip.

It's only after he's has parked the car and is about to get out that she finally speaks up.

"You want to be with me, right?" Her voice is so soft, unsure.

He looks over at her, his hands abandoning the door latch and reaching for her, any part of her. "Of course I do." His voice is laced with concern. "Rachel, where is this coming from?" He thought he'd proved to her this summer how much he wanted to be with her.

"I know I'm being stupid Finn, it's just…you're not scared about what people are going to think?"

Then it dawns on him. He feels a small amount of relief that he figured it out so fast. Usually it takes him days to realise what he's done wrong, or why she's upset. "Hey." She doesn't look up, her hands fidgeting in her lap. He reaches up to her chin, tilting her face to look at his. "This will not be like last time, okay? I know what I want now."

She doesn't say anything.

"I want you." Finn says for clarification, watching her carefully.

Suddenly he can see the smile beginning to form. He knows the signs. First it's the small curling of the mouth. And it only gets bigger from there. Then her nose kind of scrunches a little. But the last part, that's his favourite part. It's her eyes. They light up, like nothing he's ever seen before.

"Ugh I'm sorry Finn. I've let my stupid insecurities rear their ugly heads and spoil our first drive together to school." The smile has disappeared and a small pout has formed. He thinks it's possibly the cutest thing he's ever seen.

Without another word, he quickly gets out of his car and runs around to her side. As he's opening her door, he bows down a little as he offers her his hand. "Ma' lady." He lifts his head slightly, just in time to see the pout disappear and another smile form.

She accepts his hand, and jumps into his arms. They're both laughing now, his head buried in her hair, her arms wrapped around his neck. "Thank-you Finn." She whispers softly.

They break a part and he grabs their bags from the backseat.

As they take their first steps into the hallways of McKinley, her heart is hammering loudly against her chest. A shiver runs down her spine as she gets flashbacks to the slushies that would usually be awaiting her throughout the day.

People are starting to stare at them, and she feels a nervous flutter in her stomach.

Then he takes her hand in his, and suddenly all the bad and all the loneliness that has plagued her past, feels like a distant memory.

* * *

For those of you who thought her mood change came out of left field, then let me remind you of the song that was playing in the car... "Hello, Goodbye." - take your minds back to the first episode back from that hideously long hiatus, and what happened during those 40 or so minutes. Yes, now you understand :)

Reviews are love :-)


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